Islam was a system of reform by the greatest social reformer Muhammad to transform a barbaric people. Hence, these diktats like abstaining from alcohol, helped these barbarians stay put for Muhammad's imperial ends; the intent for a lot of which was noble. The mistake is considering Islam as being for the entire humanity as Muslim's often believe. Hence, alcohol or abstaining from the same, helped these barbarians stay sober, to fulfill Muhammad's imperial ambitions. The vision of heaven both in the Qur'aan and numerous Hadith is the same: with houris,gillman, alcohol and fine meats along with pleasure gardens. It is a vision that suits barbarians as that is all they could be induced by. It is difficult to believe that people swallow all this bullshit without realizing the historical context. So much disorder would have been prevented if these bastards saw a little sense. The Buddhist sutras and the Vedic Upanishads should be introduced to them to understand what spirituality means.

Alcohol isnt something thats looked down upon in just Islam. Several cultures and religions look down upon someone who is drinking for the sake of just getting drunk and intoxicated.

As for your comment on describing heaven as it is in Islam, if you really knew the quran as well as you describe, you shouldve read 56:18-19, where it is described that the wine in heaven is not one that will render someone intoxicated. The word used to describe wine here is not the same as the one that was used to describe the alcohol that is forbidden.

To be fair, if we're referring to cigarettes as addictive carcinogenic narcotics, wine should be referred to as addictive depressant and neuron killer. Really no less harmful than tobacco in excess. Not saying either should be banned, but if you think cigarettes should be banned *instead of* alcohol because wine with dinner is healthier than a smoke afterwards, that's what's irrational.

Actually no. If you look at the pure science (as opposed to filtering science through irrational superstitions) one glass of red wine with a meal will will overall have a beneficial effect on your health. Alcohol is only addictive to people susceptible to alcoholism, which is a real, genetically transferable disease.

All alcohol can be consumed in moderation with near zero adverse health effects, and some cases has some minor benefits. Yes, alcohol is a depressant and will damage your health with overuse, no argument. However, you cannot compare the health effects between the two. Smoking will damage your health no matter how little you use, plus there are no positive externalities.

Tobacco is purely a multi toxin carcinogen, with near instant addiction.

To me Islam's ban on alcohol and acceptance of smoking shows just foolish it is to listen to the ramblings of so called "holy books"

I'm an ex-Muslim atheist, so you don't need to convince me in that regard. However, Islam's ban on alcohol is not based on overall health but on its views of intoxication (which is what's banned in the Qoran anyway, not specifically alcohol). Cigarettes don't really impede your cognitive capabilities (even slight enhancement of attention in some cases), while alcohol clearly does. As long as the priority is preserving sobriety of the mind, acceptance of tobacco and a ban on alcohol seems quite reasonable and consistent. What you should be questioning in that sense is the relative acceptance of opium in the society, actually.

I should also say that, I agree that alcohol's harm starts at a much larger quantity than does tobacco's obviously. I might have overstated the negative side to make a point, but you are also understating the addictiveness and limiting it to only those who are genetically susceptible. Alcoholism does have a slight genetic aspect, but by no means is it limited to those who have the genetic inclination. Also, as beneficial as it might be to the heart in small amounts, alcohol is considered a class 1 carcinogen (along with tobacco) by the IARC, so no, it does NOT have near zero adverse health effects even in moderation. I consume quite a bit of alcohol myself, but if you do, do so knowingly.

I was aware that's Islam's problem is based on intoxication. However I think this is inconsistent and illogical to not have the same ban on smoking.

I fully see your points on alcohol, however if we are going to be discussing moderate use of either or both, alcohol is substantially less harmful in the broader context. I think that acceptance of tobacco and a ban on alcohol only seems reasonable and consistent if framed within the religious context first.

I'm going to break my no more than 10 mins arguing on the internet rule...

However, congratulations on breaking your religious chains, probably a very bold decision assuming religion was most likely imposed on you as a child by family.

Muslims don't like their dirty linen aired, especially the hypocritical hard-line Saudis. I lived in Saudi Arabia for three years and can testify that the information given for that country is seriously inaccurate.

A true story that happened to me, not here-say is as follows: In a small country city supermarket, I was buying the weekly supplies, including sugar and a case of fruit juice. The cashier said, "you forgot the yeast." I said, "I'm not making bread." He pointed to the sugar and juice and said, "for the wine."

I also have a lot of second-hand stories, some from Saudi nationals about alcoholism, especially at "the highest levels." that can not, of course, be shared in this reputable publication.

The article's author is obviously a humorist: 'Saudi Arabian diplomats on smuggled booze account for most of the drinkers in that nation.' And I doubt that the figures are particularly accurate. It only proves that writers make money by finding topics to write about in their own sin-sationalizing way. If you calculate upon the TE audience to be anti-Islam, anti-Muslim, etcetera, then how else can the bias lay? Ignoring that much, still we must see that drinking is irresponsible.
All sorts of problems and mischief are created by people everyday. They are the trouble-makers that we interact with, and as usual this leads to a dispute between us; between the moral and the immoral. And our morality is our real value in the universe. They are a threat to the value of our lives which we would rather see increase than decrease, which means we must take legal action against them even though they are not disturbing any great law of obvious consequence. Many "happy drinkers" may say. "So what does it matter if I drink?"
"Drinking impairs the judgment," and undermines the testimony of the plaintiff (insofar as the plaintiff is obligated to the rest of us in seeking a resolution in the case of a menace,) and gives the defendant more breadth to contest the evidence against themselves.
Like other people that work, you and I have a limited amount of time and energy to pursue the strategy of a moral law in our communities; and these criminals are burdensome consumptive persons with the minimal instincts to roam in solicitous anarchy. When they are finally sued in the courtroom, their judges must be fair-minded about undue penalties. And the defendant will have strong emotions. If drinking is involved in the case, everyone knows that this will complexify the conditions. Soberness helps good people get their way more decisively, and deep-seated wickedness is expiated from the community quicker.
So it's not so much the products of alcohol so much as it is our co-commitment to being a good people working together that is the meaning of this Muslim law, in mine and many other's opinion. Never underestimate the power of an unspoken understanding of the situation.
Workers of the world, Unite!

There are three kinds of persons in the world: Those that can fly. Those that can't swim. And those with every intention to run.

Well in a nutshell the answer is no. Islam is a complete religion and the concept of changing something banned during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) is absurd. Secondly, you candidly mentioned a certain unknown so 'called' scholars who might not even know how to read arabic. Booze or alcohol is banned for muslims because it hampers with your consciousness and makes you drunk regardless of the fruit used to make it. I am extremely sorry that you have come to publishing this; isn't there anything better in the world? As far as your notion about a rise in drinkers/drunkards in Muslim nations is rising, it is unfortunately true and instead of promoting it, you should be raising alarm for now many people regardless of religious affiliation is shunning this dangerous mixture as the world learns about its side effects and why it is banned in Islam.
Thank you and i hope you deal with tolerance!

We all know that booze is "forbidden". That is not the issue. The issue is that Muslims drink. So what. Many Hindus eat beef burgers. No big deal. Many Jews are not circumcised. So what. Many Christians do not believe that Mary was a virgin. No big deal. You need to understand the concepts of modern secular debate in an international forum, like TE.

By the way, Islam is not a complete religion - in fact, no religion is a "complete religion". The world has changed since the prophet's lifetime. Moses, Jesus and Mohammad were absolutely great guys at that time in history - a lot of what they said and did is totally outdated now. The Christians (except in the USA) have grown up to modern reality. The Jews and the Muslims are still living in "the dark ages".

Well in a nutshell the answer is no. Islam is a complete religion and the concept of changing something banned during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) is absurd. Secondly, you candidly mentioned a certain unknown so 'called' scholars who might not even know how to read arabic. Booze or alcohol is banned for muslims because it hampers with your consciousness and makes you drunk regardless of the fruit used to make it. I am extremely sorry that you have come to publishing this; isn't there anything better in the world? As far as your notion about a rise in drinkers/drunkards in Muslim nations is rising, it is unfortunately true and instead of promoting it, you should be raising alarm for now many people regardless of religious affiliation is shunning this dangerous mixture as the world learns about its side effects and why it is banned in Islam.
Thank you and i hope you deal with tolerance!

I agree, you cannot allow such figures to be published without sighting a credible source, especially for economies in the Middle East region where any information made publicly available by the respective governments is as credible and reliable as my next door neighbor's blog post!

The data needs sources, but the article also needs fact checking.
"NOBODY knows exactly when Islamic scholars decided that booze was sinful."
Yes, they do. It's in the Quran.
"A handful of scholars permit alcohol as long as it is not made from grapes and dates, because these are specifically mentioned in the Koran."
Out of the hundreds, if not thousands, of scholars there might actually be a handful(5) who say this. And they aren't considered scholars by anyone except themselves and some westerners because they have a degree from a western university in Islamic studies. The Quran explicitly prohibits alcohol(khumr) in general, making no exceptions. To even posit it as a position in Islam is misleading at best.

Statistics are meaningless in this case. Drinking is a sensitive subject in Islamic countries and a great deal of hypocrisy is common among those with access to alcohol. Don't forget to wrap the bottle in a paper bag when you bring it to me, I was told. You can find alcohol in a private club; certainly at a discreet host's dinner party. The ruling classes are the worst offenders.

Why is it ‘obscene’ to use a word that is associated with a particular religion in a humorous way, any more than one that is (for instance) associated with a particular political belief? Is light-hearted ribbing of religious group wrong, any more than doing the same to those who engage in some other group activity?

I just know that Morrocco is a muslim country and yet alcoholism is rampant there. However alcohol consumption in Morrocco is somewhat more hidden than in Europe, but not that much more hidden. And it is predominantly males who consume it. But there is a lot of double standards there. I think cannabis consumption is more accepted than alcohol consumption in Morrocco. So people can get high there, for sure.

I am disgusted by the article, not only is it very disrespectful but almost as if the writer is completely ignorant of Islam, may be they were to tipsy to bother with any research. I would like to say that a little more discretion should be taken when publishing articles on sensitive topics. Thank you for reading.

In what way is the article disrespectful? By pointing out a major hypocrisy within Islam? It's about time Muslims stopped being 'offended' at everything as a means to avoiding discussion of difficult subjects. Get it out into the open, let it all see the light of day, then you can move on!

If Islam is going to keep banging on about being such a guide to life, and essentially how unassailable it is, it's going to need to a) be able to prove it, and b) develop a thicker skin!

I'd like to point out to you that the "hypocracy" you state is with muslims and not Islam. Islam is clear and muslims flout this and other things... This is really a human problem you see:

Police flout their pledge to serve and protect by selling drugs
Married couples flout their vows not to cheat on each other
Politicians flout on any given day all of their promises
Even the mob flout their rules of Omerta.

No the hypocracy lies with the people not the rule itself. It is an important distinction. Criticsm is to be expected on anything but I strongly doubt that you view free speech as an absolute (if you are then fair enough) and if so that also makes you a hypocrite.